How Much Do You Know About the Enamel Jewelry You Sell?

Executive Summary about Enamel Jewelry By Alison Takvorian

A key factor for a successful jewelry business is to know a lot about the pieces you sell, including the way in which they were created and the history behind the materials used. Enamel jewelry is an ancient craft that is now coming back to life in a strong way among young and modish people. In order to understand the reasons, let's take a look at some of the history behind enamel jewelry. It was tremendously popular in the early beginnings of commerce, when the Egyptians and what later became the Greek Empire used enamel to create jewelry pieces to enhance beauty and show status. Enamel jewelry relics that have been found confirm that the Greek sailors, who spent a lot of time in high seas and rocky slopes, cherished its durability. This craft moved on to the Middle Ages, becoming a part of the lives of middle working classes and merchant people who could not afford precious metals and stones. Enamel jewelry was popular for many centuries, until it was substituted by new and more elegant styles during the Victorian Era.

However, enamel pieces are popular again today, due to the renewed interest in New Age Spirituality and eco-friendly lifestyles that cause the tony set to be attracted towards enamel's simple elegance. Enamel jewelry normally incorporates natural and organic motifs that show great affinity towards the earth and its survival.

Most commonly, enamel jewelry pieces appear as brooches, pendants, rings and medallions, which although they lack the shine of precious metals, offer an affordable and interesting way of expression and set the user apart from the materialist wave that is currently swallowing the world. Enamel jewelry lasts a long time due to the way it is created, making each piece very cost-effective in comparison to other kinds of jewelry.

While many find their muse in New Age symbols and designs, others venture into more modern eras, making this type of jewelry very popular among people of all ages. Experts recommend that when acquiring enamel jewelry, you should research the creator and its purpose, since this is an art with great meaning and strong identity.

Enamel Jewelry - Beautiful and Brilliant History

Executive Summary about Enamel Jewelry By Merry Rosenfield

Today's enamel jewelry has a beautiful finish and comes in hundreds of wonderful colors. Recently the "new enamel" has emerged; bright epoxy paints that embrace the color spectrum and can turn a plain piece of pewter jewelry into something stunningly original.

True enamel jewelry making involves fusing colored, powdered glass to metals using heat. In the 1950s my parents kept a small kiln in the old coal cellar of our house where they created masterpieces in ashtrays and screw-on earrings. I still have some lovely examples of copper earrings with intricately patterned enameling in warm colors and designs.

Perhaps the epoxy paints used to produce so many of today's masterpieces shouldn't strictly be called enamel, but at first glance there isn't much difference. Purists may differ, but materials used to produce various effects do alter through time.

By the end of this time period, enameling and use of colored stones in jewelry making was becoming more popular than work done by the gold and silversmiths of the day. I think people of all times have loved color, and the brilliance of a ruby or even an earring inset with colorful but inexpensive enamel began competing with the precious metals for the eye of the rich shopper centuries ago.

The 5th century Byzantine world saw the creation of very ornate jewelry. Enameling was liberally used in the designs, along with peals and precious stones. There was much beautiful jewelry created during this time period, all the way up to 1204 when Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine empire fell during the Crusades and so many gorgeous objects of art were melted down for their worth in gold and silver alone.

The Anglo-Saxons of the 7th century created some intricate cloisonné enamel work, much of it polychrome, meaning "many colors". These were detailed designs reminiscent of Celtic knot work and must have been incredibly time consuming.

Moving forward into the early Renaissance, enamel continued as a favorite medium for many jewelry artists. I'm looking at a photo of a lovely enamel pendant in gold and blue depicting a branch with many-hued birds. Wherever artists create jewelry, enamel will be found. From detailed cloisonné work in ancient China to today's epoxy enamel earrings and pins, color will always evoke emotion and excitement. Enamel has long been a way to enter color into designs without having to supply the expensive and limited variations of precious and semiprecious stones.